


Took Me Some Time (But I Figured It Out)

by bb_bambam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 19:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4888318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bb_bambam/pseuds/bb_bambam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life for the 1D boys following Zayn's departure. Harry spends every moment of his time texting Zayn. Niall secretly pines for his best friend. Liam has a secret that he doesn't even know he's keeping, but Sophia does, and she isn't happy about it. Louis avoids talking about Zayn, ever, until finally he can't anymore. And Zayn, despite leaving, still spends excessive amounts of time with his boys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Took Me Some Time (But I Figured It Out)

_They should have known something bad was going to happen that day. It hadn’t been a nice day. It had been cold, dreary, and generally miserable, and no one had been in a good mood. Even Niall, perpetually sunny, happy, excitable Niall, had been down that day. They really should’ve known._

_“Boys?” Zayn had asked, his voice timid and reluctant like he didn’t want to say it at all. Which, thinking back on it, he probably didn’t. “Gotta tell you all something.”_

_Harry had been the first one to look up, because he had already known what Zayn was about to say. He had asked the question he knew Zayn wanted him to ask. “What is it?” The other three boys remained distracted. Niall hadn’t even been trying to hide his misery as he watched Liam smile down at a message from Sophia. Louis sat quietly by himself, his eyes still slightly red four days after his breakup (which he knew had been coming, but it didn’t make it hurt less)._

_“I really need_ all _of you to listen,” Zayn had continued, insisted, quietly. The others had known then that something was off, because Zayn wasn’t a loud person, but he also wasn’t this hesitant, this serious, even when he really wanted them to listen to him._

_“Is something wrong?” Liam had asked, voicing what all of them were thinking._

_Zayn had swallowed hard at that, not meeting any of their eyes. “Well,” he had started. “I guess that depends on what you mean by_ wrong _.”_

_“Zayn.” It was Niall who had spoken up then. “Now you’re really worrying us mate.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Zayn had said. It had sounded like he was apologizing for more than just worrying his friends. And a second later, he had showed that in fact, he was. “I’m leaving.”_

_The silence that followed the two words had felt like a millisecond and a millennium all at once. Out of the five boys sitting in the room, Zayn himself had looked the most shocked, like he couldn’t believe what he had just said._

_“Sorry?” Niall had asked after a few long moments of stunned silence._

_“I’m leaving,” Zayn had repeated, voice less steady than it had been before._

_“Leaving like, leaving?” Liam had inquired. “Or leaving like,_ leaving _?” It was a sign of how serious the situation was that no one made any snide comments about Liam’s question._

_“I think you all know,” Zayn had replied, avoiding actually answering, his voice barely above a whisper. “Harry already knows. He called me last night, and I told him.”_

_“But why?” Niall had croaked out, almost near tears._

_“I -” Zayn had looked utterly wrecked as he looked around at the four boys. “I can’t.”_

_And they knew what he meant (Perrie, they knew) because they knew him so well, but they also didn’t, they couldn’t, because Zayn was their bandmate and their best friend and their brother and he had just told them he was leaving._

_Harry had gotten up, sat down in the seat next to Zayn, and looked at him with soft eyes. “I’m sorry, Zayn.”_

_Zayn had let out a startled half-laugh at that. “What’re_ you _sorry about, it’s all my fault innit?”_

_“No,” Harry had said simply. “And it’s not my fault either, or anyone’s fault, for that matter, but it doesn’t mean I’m not still sorry.”_

_It had been such a_ Harry _thing to say that Zayn had involuntarily let a small smile tug at his lips. “Thanks Haz,” he had said, and he had known that he had made the right choice by telling Harry first. Harry, at least, would be okay._

 _“I think we knew this was coming,” Liam had offered softly a moment later. When Zayn gave him a confused look, he had explained, his face carefully blank and devoid of emotion, “You left in the middle of_ tour _, Zee.”_

_Zayn had opened his mouth, possibly to protest, but Niall had beaten him to it. “We don’t blame you, mate. You did what you had to do. We support you no matter what.” His tone of voice had suggested that he wasn’t entirely convinced of his own words, but his eyes, bright as ever, had still been warm._

_Zayn had smiled at them, sadness marring, but not overwhelming, his expression. It would take a little more time for Liam and Niall to_ get _it, Zayn had thought, but eventually they’d be okay too, just like Harry. He hadn’t noticed Liam move to replace Harry in the spot next to Niall, but now that he had a full view of Niall shamelessly cuddling into Liam, he had been hit with a sudden, inexplicable pang of regret that he wouldn't be around to witness the two of them finally realize their undying love for each other._

_The fifth person in the room had been silent the whole time. When he finally spoke, it had come out icy and brittle and unforgiving. “When?”_

_The others had watched nervously, belatedly realizing that of course Louis would take this the hardest. Zayn and Louis just looked at each other, dark eyes refusing to look away from blue ones. Zayn had licked his lips nervously. “Tomorrow.”_

_Louis’ eyes had flashed dangerously. “How long?” His voice, already so tense with anger and hurt, had sounded even harsher than before. Zayn had remained silent. “How long have you been planning to leave?” Louis had looked both furious and broken as his voice rose. “_ Answer _me!”_

_“Louis,” Harry had warned gently, but Zayn and Louis still maintained eye contact, neither daring to look away._

_“Weeks,” had been all Zayn managed to get out._

_“Weeks,” Louis had repeated, his mouth twisting into a horrible excuse for a smile. “And you thought, ‘well, it’s fine if I wait until the day before I plan to leave to tell the people who I’ve spent the last five fucking years of my life with because they don’t deserve to know, they’re only my bandmates and my best friends and why the_ fuck _should I tell them_ anything _?’  Well, fuck that,_ Malik _, and fuck you too.”_

_Zayn, to his credit, had sat there and taken it, perhaps believing he deserved it. When Louis was finished, breathing hard and eyes glinting furiously, Zayn had cautiously tried to speak. “Lou, I’m sorry.”_

_“Oh, you’re_ sorry _?” Louis had somehow managed to look even angrier at that. “And exactly what are you sorry about, that you’ve left us to figure out how to be a band with just the four of us, or that you’ve betrayed us and are nothing but a_ traitor _?”_

_The effect of Louis’ words had been immediate. Zayn’s face had crumpled, all traces of faint hope that had been left, vanished. Louis seemed to realize, a moment too late, what he had just said and broke eye contact, refusing to look at anyone in the room. Niall had let out a muffled sob and buried his face in Liam's shoulder as Liam tightened his hold on Niall’s waist. Harry had gone to place a hand on Zayn’s shoulder, to reassure him that what Louis had just said wasn’t what any of them believed, but Zayn was already getting up._

_He had pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, a piece of paper that had words like “no one else was ever behind me” and “with your love, nobody can drag me down” scrawled all over it, and, without even looking at him, he shoved it in Louis’ direction. “Lyrics,” he had said._ _“And when you boys record the song, you won’t tell them I had anything to do with it. The fans will think it’s from you to them. But you’ll know the truth. It’s to all you boys from me.” And the next second, Zayn had disappeared, and the next time, the last time, they would see him was the day he left._

~~~ 

“I miss Zayn,” Niall announces one day, out of the blue. They’re sprawled lazily across Harry’s hotel room, preoccupied with their own little worlds.

Louis, who has been staring blankly into space for the past hour, his eyes rimmed with red, breaks out of his trance. After a brief glance around at the others (they can all see him struggling to look unaffected), he suddenly bolts from the room. They all pointedly avoid mentioning the muffled sob they hear as he runs out the door. They all pointedly ignore the fact that it’s been exactly a month since Zayn left.

~~~

“You know you _are_ allowed to talk to him still,” Harry tells them. “There is such a thing as texting.” Louis has gone out again (it’s the third time this week, they’re all a bit worried about him), leaving the three others to camp out in Liam’s room.

“Do you text him, then?” Niall asks from where he’s curled into Liam’s side.

“All the time,” Harry says simply.

“But isn’t it weird?” Liam wonders aloud.

“Course not,” Harry shrugs. “He’s the same person he was before. Still one of my best mates. It’s sad that he’s not here in person, but it doesn’t really matter in the end as long as we’re still talking.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Niall concedes. “But I dunno if I’m ready.”

Harry smiles at that. “He knows. Just, whenever you _are_ ready, tell him, yeah?”

~~~

“Niall!” Liam’s speech is heavily slurred as he leans in towards Niall, grinning dopily. “Nialler! My favorite lad. My favorite human! Didya know you're my _favorite_ human Ni? My favorite.”

“Glad to hear it, Li,” Niall says, trying to keep Liam a safe distance from his face. “Sophia might not be as pleased.”

“Sophia?” Liam giggles. “Not Sophia. You, Nialler. You’ll always be my favorite forever and ever.”

“You’re extremely drunk, Payno,” Niall informs him. “And while I am flattered that you’ve singled me out, I also think that you have me confused with Sophia. Who happens to be your actual girlfriend.”

Liam pouts. “How come I’m not _your_ favorite?”

“You _are_ my favorite, LiLi,” Niall sighs, hating how true the statement is.

“You’re my favorite too!” Liam beams. “You’re the bestest, Nialler, the most amazing person in the whole country, no, universe! I love you the most!”

Niall’s heart clenches. “Love you too, mate,” he says softly, refusing to meet Liam’s eyes.

“Look at me,” Liam says. “Wanna see your eyes. Your eyes are my favorite too. So pretty, so blue, the prettiest in the whole world.”

Niall is completely sure that he isn’t imagining Liam leaning in. His face is getting closer and his eyes are closing and it’s everything Niall wants, but he _can’t_. Liam is in a deeply committed relationship with a girl he loves, and Niall isn’t selfish enough to jeopardize that for a drunken encounter that Liam would ultimately end up regretting. He turns his head so Liam’s lips sloppily meet his cheek, and when Liam pulls away, pouting even more than before, Niall sighs and pulls Liam up by his arm. “Come on, let’s go find your girl, yeah?”

“Don’t want a girl,” Liam mumbles. “Want you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Niall replies distractedly, resolutely blocking out Liam’s drunken words. It _hurts_ , Liam saying these things when Niall knows they’re not true. Niall has long given up hope on having his feelings returned, but every time Liam gets like this (which isn’t often; it’s been a long time since Liam has gotten this drunk, and while he _has_ always displayed a preference for Niall, he’s never been this open about it before), he can’t help but imagine what it would be like. He finally spots Sophia (gorgeous, classy, perfect Sophia), and drags Liam over.

“Hey Niall,” Sophia greets him.

“Hey Sophia,” Niall returns. “Thought I’d hand this one off to you. He’s in a right state. Think he thought I was you!”

Sophia smiles as she pulls Liam from Niall’s grip. “What do you mean?”

Niall shrugs, trying to appear much more casual than he feels. “Kept telling me I was his favorite. Tried to kiss me, actually.” He forces out a laugh, even though he doesn’t find anything about the situation remotely amusing.

“He certainly does seem to be drunk out of his mind,” Sophia comments, her hold on Liam tightening imperceptibly, her smile slightly colder than it was before. “I suppose I should just take him back to the room and let him sleep it off.”

“Probably a good idea,” Niall agrees. He turns to leave, then hurriedly adds, “Take care of him, yeah?” before rushing away.

“Where’s he going?” Liam asks Sophia, his eyes sad.

“He just had to go,” Sophia tells him easily. “Just like us, babe, come on, let’s get you out of here.”

“Need Niall with me,” Liam whines as Sophia puts him in the car.

“Hush now, Liam,” Sophia says. “You’re just drunk, you don’t need him.”

“Yes I do,” Liam insists stubbornly. Much to Sophia’s irritation, Liam keeps up a steady stream of one-sided conversation solely about Niall for the entire ride home. Liam still hasn’t stopped by the time they walk into the room, Sophia half-carrying him.

“Give it a rest, Liam!” she finally snaps. “For fuck’s sake, talk about something besides _flawless_ , _perfect_ , fucking _Niall_.” Liam just looks at her. He’s still completely intoxicated. “I need a drink,” she decides. She’s getting a glass out of the cupboard when she hears Liam speak behind her.

“I think I’m in love with him,” he says. There’s a pause, and the next second, the glass Sophia had been holding is shattered on the tiled floor.

“ _What_?” she asks. It’s not a legitimate question, not really, because she knows what she just heard him say. But _believing_ what she heard, that’s another situation altogether.

Liam’s eyes are glazed over, the lazy smile on his face evidence of the alcohol in his system. “If I had even the smallest sign that he would be okay with it, I’d be with him in a heartbeat.”

Sophia can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything but stare at her boyfriend in disbelief as he confesses that he would leave her without a second thought for his fucking best friend. Because she’s not stupid. She’s seen the way Niall looks at Liam like he’s the whole world, the way Niall automatically drifts to Liam no matter the situation, the way Niall has _always_ , _always_ loved Liam.

“No way,” Sophia says aloud. She and Liam stare at each other, and she repeats herself, more confident this time. “No _way_. He wouldn’t be okay with it.” Liam’s face crumples, and Sophia can’t bring herself to feel even slightly sorry.

“Gonna sleep,” Liam slurs, sadness tinging his words. “G’nite.”

“Good night, Liam,” Sophia replies. By the time he’s left the room, Sophia is determined. “Niall Horan, you are going to _regret_ making my boyfriend fall in love with you.”

(Liam wakes up the next morning and remembers nothing. But Sophia does, can’t forget, and she is going to make sure Niall _pays_ for it.)

~~~

“Leave me alone,” Louis seethes, burying his face deeper into his pillow.

“No,” Harry retorts.

“Go away, Harry,” Louis repeats, his voice muffled. “I don’t wanna talk to you.”

“Would you rather talk to Niall or Liam?” Harry asks.

“No,” Louis hisses, lifting his head to glare at Harry.

“Then you’re stuck with me,” Harry informs him. Louis rolls his eyes and shoves his face back in the pillow. “Lou, come on.”

“What do you want me to say?” Louis snaps.

“I just wanna know why you had to reply to Naughty Boy’s tweet in the first place,” Harry sighs.

“Because I was mad,” Louis says shortly. “Because I fucking wanted to.”

“That’s not a very good reason,” Harry points out. “You’ve only made things worse.”

“No,” Louis snarls, sitting up properly. “No, _he_ fucking made things worse. I didn’t say anything about _him_ specifically, did I? _He’s_ the one who lost his temper for no reason.”

Harry is quiet for a moment before saying, hesitantly, “You _hurt_ him, Lou. He just wants to go on with his life. You’ve gotta let him.”

Louis’ eyes flash angrily. “So it’s _my_ fault? He hurt me too, Harry, in case you’ve forgotten. He hurt all of us. Rubbing that in our faces, it was fucking out of line.”

Harry shakes his head. “It might’ve been, but that’s not fair and you know it, Lou. Because the last thing you said to him face to face was out of line too.”

Louis’ face darkens. “Fuck you, Harry,” he spits. “You _know_ I didn’t mean that.”

Harry’s face is sympathetic as he looks at Louis. “Yeah, I do. But _he_ doesn’t, does he?”

Louis lies back down, covering his face with the pillow again. He says, sadder this time, “Go away, Harry.” This time, Harry listens.

~~~

“The fans have noticed,” Niall says glumly, dropping into the seat next to Liam.

Liam immediately knows what he’s talking about. “Did you really expect them not to, though? Larry is the most popular ship. They were bound to notice Louis literally refusing to acknowledge Harry’s existence.”

“But they think _we’re_ in on it too!” Niall points out, his eyes sad. “They think all _three_ of us are excluding Harry!”

“They also think that the cause of the rift is relationship problems,” Liam reasons. “They’re not always gonna be right, Ni. And it’s probably for the best this way.”

Niall’s shoulders slump. “I know, I just. I hate knowing that they’re not happy.”

Liam wraps his arm around Niall comfortingly. “You’re too nice, Nialler. You can’t make everyone happy all the time.”

Niall relaxes into Liam’s arm, leaning his head on Liam’s chest. It’s more affectionate than he usually dares to get when it’s just him and Liam, he usually tries to hold back, but he thinks just this once, it’s okay. “I wish I could. Or at least, I wish I could make Louis and Harry talk to each other again.”

“Little Nialler wants to change the world,” Liam teases lightly, ruffling Niall’s hair before moving to his waist and tickling him.

“Li, stop!” Niall giggles in spite of himself. Liam is is the only person in the world that he lets himself act like this around. “I’m not even little, LiLi, come on!”

“Dunno, NiNi, you seem pretty little to me,” Liam laughs as Niall unsuccessfully tries to get out from underneath him. “My little snowflake.”

“Stop, LiLi!” Niall whines, his words contradicting the delighted grin on his face, the pink flush that paints his cheeks. They settle into a new position, Liam lying so close next to Niall on the couch that he’s almost on top of him. Niall knows he shouldn’t act so pleased, but he can’t help the beaming smile he sends at Liam as the older boy looks fondly down at him.

“Missed this,” Liam admits quietly, pressing a light kiss to Niall’s forehead. “Been a while since it was just you and me, yeah?”

 _Because Sophia always drags you away when I come around_ , Niall doesn’t say. _Because Sophia hates me now for some reason and I don’t even know what I did_ , he doesn’t say. “Missed this too,” he says instead, because it’s easier this way. And he lets himself have this one moment of bliss, where he can pretend that Liam loves him back and he has everything he wants.

~~~

“Who’s Harry always texting?” Louis grumbles as he sinks into the seat next to Niall on the couch.

“Guess,” Niall retorts, not even looking away from the screen.

Louis pretends to think for a moment. “I give up. Who is it?”

“Same as it always is, mate,” Niall says. “Now quit distracting me, I’m about to score.” And indeed, a second later the ball is in the back of the net and the cartoon players are celebrating the goal.

“Nice one,” Louis concedes. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“I think I have, actually,” Niall replies, rolling his eyes. “Look, if you wanna know so badly, just ask him, yeah? You’ve been asking me the same question for months, but now you’re finally speaking to him again, aren’t you?”

“I am, but you’re right here and you’ve obviously known all along,” Louis points out. “Just tell me, what’re you trying to hide it for?”

“Because you’ll be in an awful mood for the rest of the day - no, week, more like - if I tell you,” Niall sighs. “And you’ll probably just stop talking to Harry again, which was annoying as hell by the way, Li and I were going crazy.”

“It couldn’t have been _that_ bad.”

“Well, let me think. You got mad that Harry wouldn’t take your side in your Twitter feud and your refusal to interact with him lasted for almost four solid months. Let me tell you, Lou, it was fucking _bad_. And I’d rather we didn’t revert back to that.”

Louis puts on his best serious face. “Niall, I solemnly swear that I will not stop talking to Harry if you tell me who he’s texting.”

Niall gives him a look. “I’m not sure how trustworthy a literal _Harry Potter_ quote is.”

“Oh my _god_ , just fucking _tell_ me already,” Louis begs.

“Fine. He’s been texting Zayn. Ever since he left, in fact,” Niall tells him. Louis falls silent and Niall sighs again. “See, _told_ you it’d put you in a fucking bad mood.” When Louis remains quiet, Niall groans and pauses his game. “Look, Lou, I get it, okay? It hurts. He hurt you. But you think it doesn’t hurt the rest of us every fucking day? You think I don’t miss him every time I see a fucking piece of art he might’ve liked, every time we try a new kind of food that he would’ve enjoyed, every fucking time we walk onto that stage and there’re only four of us? You’re not the only person who was affected, Lou. You might’ve been the closest to him, but he was _our_ friend too.”

“Harry forgave him,” Louis says like he doesn’t understand his own words.

Niall rubs at his eyes tiredly. “Zayn made a choice. He made a bunch of choices. Maybe we didn’t like them, but it’s his life and he was allowed to make them. So yeah, Harry forgave him. And it took us a little longer, but Li and I have forgiven him too. And now, I think it’s time for you to consider doing the same.”

He says it cautiously, but Louis’ face immediately shuts down. “I ca - I have to, uh, go,” he says hastily before all but running out of the room. Niall watches him go with a remorseful expression on his face, his game entirely forgotten by this point.

Liam finds him in the same position minutes later. “Hey Nialler, you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Niall is jolted out of his reverie.

Liam smiles fondly down at his friend. “Looked a little out of it just then, Ni, what happened?”

Niall groans. “Lou.”

“Think I’ll be needing a bit more information than that,” Liam teases lightly, sitting next to Niall on the couch and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Niall’s spent years controlling his emotions around Liam, but after all this time, he still can’t resist the instinct to lean into the older boy.

“Tried talking to him about Zayn,” Niall explains. Liam nods sympathetically, immediately understanding the problem. “It was an improvement, I think, since he didn’t start yelling or throwing things when I told him Harry’s still texting him.”

“He had to find out at some point,” Liam reasons.

“Wish he’d just suck it up and _talk_ to him,” Niall sighs.

“Think he regrets it?” Liam asks, running his fingers through Niall’s hair. “What he said that day?”

“I _know_ he does,” Niall says softly. “He’s afraid to forgive Zayn because he’s scared Zayn hasn’t forgiven him.”

~~~

Sent to: Zaynie <3

_hi_

Sent to: Nialler <3

_hey! been a while m8_

Sent to: Zaynie <3

_miss u loads !_

Sent to: Nialler <3

_miss u 2 nialler_

Sent to: Zaynie <3

_cn i call u_

Sent to: Nialler <3

_always_

“Zayn?” Niall knows he shouldn’t feel so nervous. It’s only Zayn, one of the closest friends he’s ever had. But it’s also been a long time since he last talked to him.

“Nialler?” Zayn’s voice comes through the phone and _shit_. Niall feels the sudden urge to cry. It’s been _so long_.

“Hey, Zaynie,” Niall grins. It doesn’t matter that Zayn can’t see him; he’ll be able to _hear_ his smile.

“I’ve missed your voice, Ni,” Zayn tells him, and Niall can hear Zayn’s smile too.

“I should’ve called sooner,” Niall says regretfully.

“You called when you were ready,” Zayn counters. “I’m just glad you called at all.”

“No way I could stay away forever, missed you too much,” Niall says honestly. “You’re still the only one I come to with my problems.”

“You haven’t been talking about your problems for _months_?” Zayn asks incredulously. “Spill, Nialler, now. You can’t keep it bottled up like that.”

Niall lets Zayn’s fretting wash over him. It feels like a missing piece of his soul has been replaced. “It’s mostly about Sophia.”

Zayn makes an irritated noise. “He’s _still_ with her?”

“She’s his girlfriend, Zayn, and I’m not expecting them to split any time soon,” Niall sighs. “In fact, they’ve been spending more time together than ever, Sophia keeps dragging - I mean, inviting Li out places. And it’s annoying and all, but that’s not the real problem. The _real_ problem is that she hates me.”

Zayn is silent for a moment. “She doesn’t _hate_ you. Aren’t you guys, I dunno, friends? Or you get along, at least?”

“Not anymore,” Niall says sadly. “It started when we went out one night, maybe around four months ago? Well, Liam was proper drunk, like out of his mind, and he kept telling me I was his favorite and he tried to kiss me, and -”

“Oh, _Niall_ ,” Zayn breathes, sympathy lacing his tone.

Niall coughs uncomfortably, not wanting to focus on that part of the story. “Anyway, I handed him off to Sophia and she was fine, but I guess something happened overnight because ever since then, she’s been _horrible_. And only when it’s just me and her. If the others are around, she acts like nothing’s wrong.”

“So Li doesn’t know,” Zayn guesses. “And neither do Haz and Lou - Louis.”

Niall doesn’t miss the slight waver in Zayn’s voice. He decides now isn’t the best time to bring it up. “No one knows but you.”

“You’ve gotta tell someone else, Ni,” Zayn says seriously. “Any of the other boys, Paul, your parents, _anyone_.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Niall groans. “‘Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that Sophia has been harassing me for the last four months!’ ‘Hey Mam, Da, remember Sophia, Liam’s girlfriend? She’s been verbally abusing me for quite some time now! Well, nice talk, love ya!’”

“Niall,” Zayn warns. “I’m serious. This isn’t something you can keep to yourself. You _have_ to tell someone. Because if you don’t, I will.”

Niall huffs in annoyance. “ _Fine_ , I’ll tell Lou and Haz.”

“You know who you _really_ should be telling, don’t you?” Zayn asks.

“No _way_ am I telling him, Zayn,” Niall says firmly. “He loves her. I’m not getting in the way of that.”

“I hate that you’re hurting yourself to make him happy,” Zayn sighs. “I worry about you. You’re too nice, Nialler.”

Niall lets out a laugh, weak but genuine. “It’s funny. He tells me the same thing.”

~~~

“Hazza?” Louis knows he’s well past tipsy as he tries to focus on Harry’s face.

“What’s up, Lou?” Harry asks, sounding concerned.

“I don’t get it,” Louis says sadly.

“What don’t you get?” Harry’s voice is gentle as he moves to sit next to Louis.

“He left for her, right? But now she’s not - they’re not -” Louis gestures vaguely instead of completing his thought. “So when is he coming back?” He looks miserably at Harry like the answer is written on his face.

Harry inhales sharply. “Oh, Lou,” he sighs sympathetically. “That’s what you’ve been upset about all along, isn’t it?” It becomes apparent that Louis isn’t really listening, but Harry continues, relieved that he understands his friend’s mind at last. “It wasn’t ever about him leaving. You just wanted him to come _back_.”

~~~

“Why are you here?” Sophia barely spares Niall a contemptuous glance as she makes her way into the room. “Last time I checked, you’re pretty fucking unwanted in here.”

“I want to talk to you,” Niall replies, ignoring her rude comments and getting off the couch he’s been sitting on for the last half hour, waiting for her.

“What a shame that we all want things we can’t have,” Sophia scoffs.

“I just want to know what I did to make you hate me so much,” Niall lets out in a rush. “What happened? We got along pretty well, I thought.”

Sophia lets out a laugh that doesn’t sound remotely humorous. “What did you do? What _didn’t_ you do?”

“Sophia, seriously,” Niall says determinedly. “You’re dating my best friend. I think I deserve to know why the person he cares most about hates me.”

“The person he cares most about,” Sophia says mockingly. “You see, Horan, if _that_ were true, I wouldn’t even _have_ to hate you.”

“I don’t get it.” Niall shifts his weight uncomfortably.

“I know about your stupid little _crush_ , Horan,” Sophia finally reveals, moving closer to him. Niall blanches. “I see you watching Liam every fucking chance you get, hanging off him at every fucking concert, desperate for any kind of contact with him. It’s fucking pathetic. And you’re not even _good_ at hiding it. Then again, you’re not really good at _anything_ , are you?”

“Sophia,” Niall starts.

“Save it, Horan. I don’t care about anything you have to say. And quite frankly, your fucking accent gets on my nerves,” Sophia snaps. “So just shut up and listen. You’re wondering why there aren’t a million stories about this all over the media. Well, trust me, I _wish_ there were.” Niall opens his mouth like he wants to interrupt, but decides against it. “And believe me, if I didn’t know that Liam would drop me the second he found out, I _would_ tell everyone. Don’t think I’m not exposing you because I don’t _want_ to.”

“Please,” Niall whispers. “ _Please_ -”

“Shut the fuck up,” Sophia sneers. Suddenly, she’s grabbing his shirt and pulling him close to her face. “You are _nothing_ , Horan. He’s never even going to _look_ at you the way you want him to. And why should he? Who are you? His friend, and that’s _it_. Nothing else. So go ahead and keep doing whatever you’re doing if you want, because _nothing_ is going to change.” She lets go of him forcefully. “Now get the fuck out of my room.”

~~~

“What’s up with Niall?” Louis asks worriedly. “It’s been weeks now, he’s been acting weird.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Harry replies. “Thought I was imagining it at first. Onstage, he’s the confident and outgoing Niall we love, but offstage, around Liam, he’s been acting different.”

“Gotta give him credit really,” Louis muses. “Liam’s always all over him onstage and he just goes with it even though it must be killing him. Guess there’s only so much he can take.”

“You think we should talk to him?” Harry returns.

“Don’t think we have a choice,” Louis says. He gestures to where Niall is standing with Liam and Sophia, laughing just a little too loud at everything Sophia is saying, his smile just a little too bright to be genuine. “I’m gonna go get him.”

“Bring him to my room,” Harry suggests. “We’ll chat up there.”

Louis agrees and makes his way over to the trio. “Hey Leemo, Sophia, mind if I borrow Nialler here for a second?” Niall is sending him confused looks, but Louis is watching Liam and Sophia’s faces. He doesn’t miss the unsettling gleam in Sophia’s eyes and the flicker of annoyance that crosses Liam’s face as Louis links his arm with Niall’s.

“Not at all, Louis,” Sophia says sweetly. “In fact, Liam and I were just going.”

“What? No we -” Sophia sends him a look and Liam corrects himself. “Uh, yeah, we were. See you later, then, Nialler?” He sends Niall a hopeful look.

“Course, Li, see you in a bit,” Niall promises, his smile softening into something real even though Sophia is glaring daggers at him. Louis drags Niall away and Niall hisses, “What the hell, Lou?”

“Me and Haz need to talk to you,” Louis explains. “We’ve been worried about you, Nialler.”

Niall sighs dramatically. “Guess I have no choice, yeah?”

“That’s right!” Louis chirps cheerfully. They walk into Harry’s room to find Harry lounging on his bed, texting someone (there’s only one person he ever texts; they know who it is). Louis’ smile fades as he rolls his eyes. “You really gotta do that _now_ , Haz?”

“We’re not the only ones who care about Niall, Lou,” Harry reminds him. “And apparently, Nialler here has already told him everything.” He looks at Niall expectantly. “Well?”

Niall sinks onto the bed and covers his face with his hands. “Ugh, yes, I called him a while ago and told him everything. And he told me I should tell you lot, but I never got the chance.”

“Well, here’s your chance now!” Louis says, his voice leaving no room for argument. “We just want you to be happy, Ni. Please tell us what’s wrong.” He sits down next to Niall and wraps an arm around his shoulders.

“Sophia,” Niall mumbles into his hands.

Louis and Harry exchange a look over the top of Niall’s head. Harry speaks up timidly. “Is it just because of who she’s dating, or -”

“She’s been verbally abusing me for months,” Niall suddenly reveals, the words rapidly tumbling out of his mouth.

“ _What_?” Louis squeaks. “Abusing? Months? _Niall_!”

Niall groans and suddenly, he can’t hold it in anymore. “And I know why she’s been doing it. She _knows_.”

“She knows?” It takes a few moments for realization to hit Harry. “Oh my god, she _knows_.”

“Sophia knows you’re in love with her boyfriend so she’s been treating you like shit?” Louis clarifies.

“It’s been awful,” Niall admits quietly. “She’s said some really terrible things. There’s one thing I don’t get, though. She only does it when we’re alone together so Liam doesn’t find out. But I mean, she clearly sees me as a threat to their relationship, even though I’ve never tired to do anything and I never will. So why wouldn’t she just _tell_ him? She’s his girlfriend, obviously he would take her side. He probably wouldn’t want me around all that much anyway if he knew. Isn’t that what she wants?”

Louis glances at Harry, who seems to have had the same thought. “Nialler, I’m not sure that’s what would happen.” Niall looks at Louis incredulously. “You’re his best friend. He cares about you way too much to just drop you like that.”

Niall is hit with a sudden recollection. “She said something like that when I confronted her about it. What was it? ‘Liam would drop me the second he found out.’ She said that’s why she hasn’t taken the story to the media.”

Harry shrugs. “It’s true. Liam would consider that a major betrayal of trust. He’d be really angry with her, way more than he would be with you.”

Louis adds, “I doubt he’s even capable of being angry with you at all. I think you should tell him about what she’s been doing to you.”

“No,” is Niall’s immediate response. “She makes him happy. I’m sure as hell not telling him and ruining his life. And you two better swear that you’re not going to either.” He glares at both of them. He looks about as threatening as an angry kitten, but to their credit, Harry and Louis resist the urge to mention this to him.

“We won’t,” Harry finally promises, reluctant as he is to agree. “But Ni, just remember that the way she’s treating you isn’t exactly something he’s gonna approve of. Because you make him happy too.” 

~~~

“How is he?” Louis asks Harry one day. His voice is hesitant and determined at the same time.

Harry looks up from his phone so fast, it looks like it hurt. “What?”

“I’m not asking again,” Louis says. He looks extremely nervous.

“He’s - he’s good,” Harry stammers, trying to recover from the shock of the unexpected question. “Busy recording. Misses us a lot.”

“Is he happy?” Louis asks, and his voice is much quieter now.

Harry looks at Louis with something akin to pride, smiling faintly, his eyes fond. “Yeah, Lou. He is.” 

~~~ 

“If I invite Zayn to visit, do you think he’d come?” Liam wonders aloud.

“Well, sure, why not?” Harry replies. “If he’s in the area, I’m sure he’d come.”

“I want to, but I keep worrying about what’ll happen when he and Lou finally have to interact,” Liam sighs.

“Well, if it’s got you so worried, why not ask him to just visit you? Or just you and me or Niall? Actually, definitely invite Niall too, he’d love that,” Harry suggests.

“He would?” Liam accidentally asks out loud.

“Course,” Harry says nonchalantly, like it’s obvious. “He’s been talking about how much he wants to see Zayn again for weeks now. It’s been going on ever since he started calling him every other day.”

“Niall calls Zayn every other day?” Liam seems slightly annoyed at the thought. “I hadn’t noticed that.”

Harry lets out a light laugh. “Yeah, mate, I think Niall might talk to Zayn even more than I do nowadays. You must not be around him much if you haven’t noticed.”

Liam vaguely wonders when he stopped being the person Niall spends the most time with. “Guess I’ve been spending a lot of time with Soph,” Liam admits. “Still, I think I’ll ask him and Niall to spend the day. You wanna come too?”

“Nah, someone’s gotta keep Lou distracted, yeah?” Harry gives him a wry smile. “Zayn’s probably tired of me anyway, I’m texting him so often.”

“I doubt it,” Liam grins. “He loves you, mate.”

Harry’s eyes sparkle. “Glad to hear it, seeing as I’m quite fond of him too.”

~~~

It’s both a blessing and a curse that Liam enjoys the same sports as him, Niall thinks as they sit next to each other at the US Open. He loves going out and spending time with Liam, just the two of them. Liam is great company, and he genuinely understands the appeal of tennis, unlike Harry and Louis. It feels wonderful to sit there, showing Liam texts from Zayn on his phone, laughing at Louis’ jokes, just enjoying each other’s company. But just like every other time he goes to any sporting events with just Liam, his heart hurts. It’s not Liam’s fault, Niall thinks. He can’t know what Niall is feeling. He can’t help it if, to Niall, it feels like a date.

~~~

Zayn’s lounging on Liam’s couch, laughing as he records Niall doing an exuberant little dance to The Script’s “Paint the Town Green” (“Like a true Irishman!” he had proclaimed proudly while convincing Zayn to record him in the first place). Liam had told them to hang out at his flat until he came home from the gym, and then they’d figure out how to spend the rest of the day.

They’re halfway through the song when the door opens and Sophia walks in. “What are you doing in my house?” she asks, not even bothering to hide the distaste on her face.

“Well, it is yours _and_ Liam’s,” Niall points out. “And I was the first person Liam gave a key to.”

“Oh, right.” Sophia rolls her eyes. “You love validation that Liam gives a fuck about you. I almost forgot.” The hatred on her face suggests that in fact, she had _not_ almost forgotten. “Whatever. Get the fuck out.”

“Damn, Sophia, seriously, what have we ever done to you?” Zayn sounds genuinely curious. Sophia hasn’t seemed to notice that Zayn’s phone is still recording.

Sophia lets out a cold laugh. “Because I would definitely tell _you_ my reasons.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Zayn’s eyes narrow.

“Let me think,” Sophia starts mockingly. “Oh, that’s right, you fucking quit the band! You _abandoned_ them. You fucking _traitor_.”

Zayn opens his mouth to defend himself, but Niall gets there first. “You have _no_ right to talk to him like that.”

Sophia’s eyes flash. “I’m getting _really_ tired of you always interfering, you know that? First your stupid little crush, how you never stop desperately hanging off his every word, pining away, it’s fucking _pathetic_. And now you’re defending this piece of shit who betrayed the only _friends_ he’s ever had?”

“Don’t you dare talk about Zayn like that!” Niall says angrily.

“You’re such a little _bitch_ ,” Sophia snaps, and at that moment, several things happen at once.

Liam walks through the front door in time to hear Sophia’s last words. He barely has time to acclimate to the scene in front of him before Sophia’s fist is hitting Niall squarely in the face and Zayn is jumping out of his seat a few seconds too late. Niall had been caught off guard, and Sophia’s punch is hard enough to knock him off balance, his head smashing against the glass coffee table as he falls, just moments before Zayn reaches him.

“What. The. _Hell_.” Liam is in shock as he struggles to comprehend what just happened.

Sophia spins around, flustered. “Liam! Wasn’t expecting you!”

Zayn, frantically checking Niall’s pulse, completely ignores Sophia as he starts talking, mostly to himself. “Shit, he’s out cold and losing blood. He’s gotta get to the hospital.”

Liam starts to spring into action. “Niall, is he - I don’t - I can drive -”

Zayn is already hoisting Niall up with him. “Here,” he says harshly, shoving his phone at Liam. “You’ve got a bit to catch up on. This has everything recorded on it. Better decide whose side you’re on. Don’t bother showing up at the hospital if you choose wrong.” He taps the screen so it stops recording, and is out the door, carrying Niall’s limp body, before Liam can get another word out.

Liam turns to look at Sophia, who looks back with an indecipherable expression on her face. She opens her mouth, but Liam cuts her off. “Don’t you fucking dare say anything. You just sent my best friend to the hospital with blood dripping down his face. I’m going to watch this recording,” he tells her. “Then we’re going to talk about what just happened here. And something tells me that it isn’t going to end well for us.”

~~~ 

“How is he?” Liam asks quietly.

Zayn spins around, startled. “Who - oh, it’s you.” He doesn’t look particularly happy, but at least his eyes aren’t blazing furiously like they had been back at the flat. “He’s - well, he’ll be okay. Mild concussion, a bit of blood loss, but nothing major. He woke up for a bit before, but he’s gone to sleep now.”

Liam shuffles his feet. “Does - does he hate me?”

Zayn’s face softens. “Don’t think he’s _capable_ of hating you, mate. Your girlfriend, on the other hand -”

“Not my girlfriend,” Liam interrupts firmly.

Zayn nods in understanding. “I’d say sorry, but I’m really not.”

“Yeah,” Liam mumbles, suddenly embarrassed. “I just can’t believe - anyway, that’s not important right now. Can I - I mean, when can we see him?”

“You can go in now, if you want,” Zayn informs him. “Although I’m not sure it’d be a very interesting visit. Might wanna wait until he wakes up.”

“I’ll just go in now,” Liam decides, just like Zayn knew he would. “He might suddenly wake up.”

“I’ve already called Haz and let the other two know what’s going on,” Zayn says. “They’ll be here soon, probably.”

Liam hesitates. “Will you be, you know, okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Zayn frowns.

“Just, well,” Liam stutters. “Never mind.”

“I’m not gonna try and _fight_ him or anything,” Zayn sighs, guessing what Liam is so nervous about.

“I know, I just thought maybe I should make sure,” Liam says defensively.

“Thanks, Li,” Zayn tells him sincerely. “Now go on and see your boy.” The “your” slips out entirely by accident, but if Liam notices, he doesn’t mention it. _Because he wants it to be true_ , Zayn thinks to himself. _Because it always_ has _been true_.

~~~

It isn’t as climatic as they think it’s going to be. When Zayn and Louis see each other on opposite ends of the hospital waiting room, it doesn’t end with either of them punching each other, or with tearful apologies, or really, with anything remotely out of the ordinary at all. Louis walks up to Zayn, Harry following warily a short distance away, and they look at each other for a long moment.

“Hi,” is what Zayn says shyly, almost too quietly to hear.

“Hi,” Louis replies, just as quietly. And that’s all that they need. Zayn tentatively holds up his arms and Louis hesitates for a fraction of a second before returning the hug fervently.

Harry’s expression is a cross between amusement and exasperation. “So how is he?” he finally asks after allowing his friends to hug each other for several long minutes.

They break apart and Zayn gives Louis a tiny smile before redirecting his attention to Harry. “He’s okay, doctor said he’s got a mild concussion but it’s not too serious. He’s sleeping now and Liam’s gone in to sit with him.”

“And Sophia?” Louis spits out her name, his face twisting into a snarl.

“Liam’s made it clear she’s not his girlfriend anymore, but I don’t know the details,” Zayn explains.

“So, are we giving them some private time, or are we barging in?” Harry grins.

“I think just this once, we’ll give them their privacy,” Louis smirks. “I mean, Niall _did_ literally get punched in the face. He, at least, deserves this. And anyway, I don’t think I can sit and watch them make heart eyes at each other for very long without wanting to puke.”

~~~

“You’ve always been so pretty when you sleep,” Liam sighs as he watches Niall’s chest rise and fall steadily. “Though to be honest, you’ve always been pretty in general.” He reaches over and pushes a stray lock of hair off Niall's forehead. “I guess I haven’t been a very good friend lately. Didn’t even realize what was happening under my own nose.” He takes Niall's hand and strokes it with his thumb as he continues to speak softly. “Why didn’t you tell me, snowflake? Did you think I wouldn’t believe you? Because Ni, I trust you more than anyone else in the world. And I know you too well to think that you could ever make something like that up.”

It’s oddly calming, sitting there and talking to Niall’s sleeping form. He keeps up a one-sided conversation until he’s suddenly overcome with a _need_ to tell Niall something he hasn’t told anyone else. “I was gonna ask her to marry me, you know. And you probably would’ve been happy for me, wouldn’t you? Even after everything she did to you, you would’ve congratulated me with that beaming smile of yours and begged me to be the best man.”

“Wouldn’t’ve had to beg,” comes a groggy reply. “You would’ve already chosen me.”

Liam lets out a watery laugh, his eyes tearing up slightly as Niall turns to look at him. He hasn’t let go of Niall’s hand. “No one else to choose. How’re you feeling, snowflake?”

“Like my head’s been shredded in a blender,” Niall says conversationally, his voice still hoarse. Liam winces guiltily and opens his mouth to speak, but Niall cuts him off. “Don’t you dare, Liam. I know what you’re gonna say and I don’t want to hear it. I don’t blame you for this, okay? Not at all.”

“I should’ve seen,” Liam murmurs, squeezing Niall’s hand gently. “Should’ve realized something was wrong.”

“You couldn’t have known, Li,” Niall reminds him. “She hid it well.”

“So did you,” Liam sighs. “Did you tell anyone?”

“Zayn,” Niall reveals. “And he told me to tell Haz and Lou. Well, and you, but I -”

“Why didn’t you?” Liam asks sadly.

“I didn’t want to make you have to choose,” Niall admits softly. “And because I was afraid of _who_ you would choose when it came down to it.”

“That was stupid of you,” Liam tells him. Niall looks at him in confusion and Liam smiles fondly at him. “It’s never gonna be a choice, Nialler. It’ll always be you.”

~~~

“I’m so bored,” Zayn complains.

“How is that even possible when _I’m_ around?” Louis sing-songs, poking Zayn in the side. They seem to be determined to make up for lost time, spending every possible moment with each other. Harry rolls his eyes good-naturedly at them. “Come on Zaynie, there’s tons of fun things to do! We can, I dunno, bet on how long it’s gonna take for Liam to finally realize he’s mad for Niall.”

“It’s funny that you would classify that as ‘fun,’” Zayn says as the corner of his mouth curls upwards. “Poor Niall is _suffering_ , Lou.”

“He wouldn’t be suffering if he would just _tell_ Liam how he feels,” Louis reasons.

“Oi, you lot, keep it down, Liam is still in the flat,” Harry reminds them.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Liam strolls in, looking rather hassled. “Do you know where Niall’s gone off to?”

“Yeah, mate, said he met someone at the pub last night and wanted to meet up again today,” Harry informs him.

Louis and Zayn turn to Harry in shock, twin looks of surprise on their faces. Liam looks extremely irritated. “He shouldn’t be running around like that, his head could still be susceptible to more injury.”

“It’s been almost a month, Li, the doctor said he’d be fine after two weeks,” Louis points out helpfully.

“Well, when he gets back, let him know I was looking for him, yeah?” Liam’s frown deepens as he walks back into the room he just emerged from.

Louis and Zayn immediately turn to Harry. “Niall’s _met_ someone?”

“I don’t know much,” Harry tells them. “He just told me that he really liked the guy and he wants to see what’ll happen.”

Zayn lets out a low whistle. “Wow. Niall hasn’t ‘really liked’ a guy since...since Liam, honestly.”

“I guess he must be trying to move on,” Louis speculates. “Not great timing though, Liam seems awfully put out by it all.”

“Niall couldn’t wait forever,” Harry says logically. “I’m glad he’s branching out a bit, it’ll be good for him.”

“A little exploring can’t hurt,” Zayn agrees. “But to be honest, I think he’s been in love with Liam for too long to ever be properly happy with anyone else. They’re gonna end up together somehow, I just know it.”

~~~ 

“Hello again,” Niall greets cheerfully as the door to the flat opens. “Alfie, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Alfie confirms. “Don’t need to ask your name, think I’ve heard it enough already.” His grin is light and teasing. “Come on in, I’ve made some tea.”

“So, you wanted to meet up?” Niall inquires curiously. “I got the impression you were interested in someone else last night.”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Alfie says, and he seems slightly nervous as he hands Niall a cup of tea before sitting down next to him on the couch. “I do have my eye on someone, and, well, I thought it seemed like you do too.”

Niall fidgets in his seat. “Well, I mean -”

“You don’t have to say who,” Alfie follows up quickly. “I just, well, I was extremely flattered when the one and only Niall Horan started flirting with me, but you didn’t really seem that into it. The thing is, the bloke I like, Trevor, he’s a pretty close friend of mine. And I’m almost positive he’s at least _interested_ , but I’ve got no way of knowing for sure.” He pauses, and Niall indicates for him to continue. “He’s quite the jealous type, though, and he may have seen us together last night, and you’re really a very attractive lad -”

“Well, thanks mate!” Niall interrupts with a laugh. “You’re not too bad yourself!”

Alfie grins sheepishly. “I’m glad you think so because if you didn’t, this plan would be a lot more awkward.”

“You want to fake-date,” Niall guesses. Alfie nods, looking slightly embarrassed. Niall lets out a laugh. “Nice! Got it in one!”

“Are you up for it? Because it’s totally fine if you’re not, you’ve just said you fancy someone as well,” Alfie is quick to clarify.

“Let's do it!” Niall sounds genuinely excited. “Listen, I’ve fancied the same bloke for five years without him realizing, I think he’ll survive without me crushing on him for a while.”

“Can I ask who it is?” Alfie asks tentatively.

“Course, can’t have my fake-boyfriend not knowing crucial facts about me!” Niall grins. “You knew who I was, so you probably know him as well. It’s kind of sad really, but I’ve spent the last five years of my life pining after my best friend.” Alfie gapes at him and Niall nods in confirmation. “You heard that right, mate. I’m in love with Liam Payne.”

~~~

“Are you _sure_ Liam isn’t interested in you?” Alfie whispers to Niall nervously. “He’s been glaring at me all evening.”

“Positive,” Niall whispers back carelessly. “He’s probably just upset I’m not cuddling with him like I usually do on movie nights.”

Alfie gives him a look. “You’re seriously telling me that you _cuddle_ with each other on a regular basis, but you’re not together.”

“What? We’re not,” Niall shrugs. “Now settle down and hold me like a proper boyfriend.”

“As you wish,” Alfie says sarcastically, but he’s grinning as he pulls Niall closer to him. He doesn’t miss how Liam (who hasn’t even been watching the movie, to be honest) narrows his eyes at the sight. “But Niall, just saying, I don’t think Trevor is the only jealous type around here.”

~~~ 

“So, what position do you prefer, Nialler?” Louis calls out, an obnoxious grin on his face. Liam’s head whips around at the question, his eyes wide.

“Dunno what you’re talking about, Lou,” Niall replies, the mischievous glint in his eyes contradicting his words.

“Oh, I think you do,” Louis retorts, waggling his eyebrows.

Niall brings his hand to his chest in mock indignation. “Why, Lou, it sounds like you’re accusing me of having sex before _marriage_! As if I could ever!”

“Oi, fuck off,” Louis says fondly. “Come on, we know you’ve been getting it on with your boy. Just tell us.” Liam’s grip on his mug of tea tightens.

Niall lets out a genuine laugh, cocky and delighted and infectious. “What do you think?” he asks cheekily. “I’m a bottom, of course.” Liam chokes.

~~~

Liam bursts into Louis’ room at 2:47 in the morning. “Lou, wake up,” he pleads urgently.

“What’s going on?” Louis grumbles, irritated at his sleep being interrupted. “Payno, you know I love you, but what the _fuck_?”

“Lou, how long have I been in love with Niall?” Liam asks desperately, shaking Louis by the shoulders slightly.

“Jesus, okay.” Louis seems to realize the gravity of the situation. “Okay, sit down.” Liam obeys, his leg shaking impatiently. “So, finally figured it out, have you?”

Liam buries his face in his hands. “I was gonna ask Haz or Zee, but I figured you’d cut the bullshit and tell it to me straight.”

“You came to the right place, my friend,” Louis says dramatically. Liam fails to look even remotely reassured. “No need to look like someone’s died, Leemo, you’ve only realized that you’re in love with your best mate.”

Liam groans. “Fuck, I’m _in love_ with him. Why’d I have to realize _now_ , the one time he’s taken?”

“Well, if it helps, you’ve been in love with him for probably, what, at least two years?” Louis informs him. “I mean, honestly, you were interested since bootcamp. But that summer after Danielle, well, you fell for him hard. And it terrified you. So you -”

“Turned to Sophia,” Liam finishes with a sigh. “Which ended well.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Louis says softly. “None of us could have guessed she would get like that.”

“I think she knew,” Liam admits quietly. “I think that’s why she went after him. She knew how I feel about him.”

“Well, Li, let’s be real. Practically everyone but you and Niall knew how you felt,” Louis points out. “And now it’s just Niall who doesn’t know.”

~~~ 

“Niall, oh my fucking god!” Alfie sounds ecstatic as he stands aside to let Niall into his flat. “I’m so happy!”

“Congrats, mate,” Niall beams at him, pulling him in for a hug. “I’m glad you’ll be able to enjoy a proper relationship now.”

“I’ve gotta thank you, really,” Alfie says sincerely. “Couldn’t’ve done it without you.”

“Was nothing.” Niall waves it off. “You’re excellent company. We’ve gotta keep in touch for sure.”

“Of course!” Alfie agrees. “Trevor might not be too happy about it, I’ll have to explain everything to him.” He laughs at the thought.

“So this is our fake breakup?” Niall smirks.

“Looks like it,” Alfie replies with a grin. “You were a first-class fake boyfriend, though. It was a pleasure to fake-date you for four months. Anyone would be lucky to have you for real.”

“Thanks,” Niall laughs. “Too bad the only person I’ve ever wanted to have me isn’t interested.”

“Damn, Ni, you really _are_  an oblivious one, aren’t you?” Alfie shakes his head disbelievingly. “One day, you two will finally get the happy ending you deserve.”

Niall smiles a little sadly. “I wish, Alfie. I wish.”

~~~

“Liam, _what_ are you so antsy about?” Harry asks. Liam has been pacing back and forth in the living room of Louis’ flat for the past ten minutes, much to the amusement of Louis and Zayn.

“I saw something that - well, Niall won’t be happy about it,” Liam tells them in a rush. “I can’t believe - I _knew_ there was something up.”

“What are you on about, then?” Zayn asks.

Liam shakes his head. “Niall needs to hear about it first.” Right on cue, Niall strolls in with a blinding grin on his face. The other three boys turn to Liam expectantly. Liam sighs. “Hey, Ni? Have you, uh, seen Alfie recently?”

Niall looks at him in confusion. “Yeah, what about him?”

Liam shuffles uncomfortably. “I, um, may have seen him out with another guy today. Like, holding hands and flirting and things of that nature.”

The smile on Niall’s face takes them all by surprise. “So he and Trevor are still going strong then? Good for them!” He looks around at them and seems to realize what’s wrong. “Shit, I forgot to tell you boys that we broke up a few weeks ago, didn’t I?”

“What?” Harry is the first to react. “But you were so good together!”

“We were a bit _too_ good together, was the problem,” Niall explains. “We’re better as friends. And Trevor is the perfect match for him.”

Liam drops onto the empty space on the couch, looking at Niall like he’s never seen him before. “So you’re - you knew? I was ready to defend your honor for nothing?”

Niall laughs and climbs onto Liam’s lap. “Afraid so, LiLi.” He leans in close to Liam’s face, his lips right by Liam’s ear, as he murmurs, “But I am flattered that you were so keen to defend my honor in the first place.” It’s more openly affectionate than he’s been with Liam in a long time, and he’s enjoying every minute.

“I’ll always defend your honor, snowflake,” Liam promises, pressing a kiss to Niall’s temple.

They temporarily forget the presence of Louis, Zayn, and Harry in the room until Louis decides to interrupt their moment with a loud, “This is _torture_.”

“Shut _up_ , Lou, why the fuck would you interrupt that?” Zayn immediately interjects in annoyance. “They were being so cute.”

“I’m always cute,” Niall informs them.

“That may be true,” Harry concedes. “But that’s besides the point.”

“You’re all crazy,” Liam announces. “Absolutely barking.”

“Yeah, we are,” Zayn agrees, gazing fondly at all of them. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

~~~

“You’ve got the best hair, Haz,” Niall muses as Harry rests his head in Niall’s lap. They’re lounging on the couch, Niall threading his hands through Harry’s hair as he speaks. “You should do something with it.”

“What, like brush it? Because let me tell you, I do enough of that,” Harry replies.

“No, mate, like braid it or something,” Niall says exasperatedly.

“Dunno how to do it to my own hair,” Harry tells him.

“It’s your lucky day then, because I can do it for you!” Niall informs him delightedly.

Harry sighs. He doesn’t question when Niall could have possibly developed a skill for braiding hair. “Go for it, then.”

Niall excitedly begins smoothing out Harry’s hair and arranging it to make a braid. As he begins braiding, Liam walks in, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight. Niall is still focused solely on the task at hand, but Harry sees Liam’s eyes narrow at how Harry’s head is comfortably nestled in Niall’s lap. “Oh,” he says.

Niall looks up, and Harry isn’t at all surprised to find that Niall’s face is _glowing_ as he beams at Liam. “Hey!” he calls happily.

Liam’s face softens visibly as he smiles fondly at Niall. “Hey, snowflake.” His eyes slide back to Harry and his jaw clenches slightly. “How long have you guys been in here?”

Harry is about to reassure Liam that it hasn’t been very long at all, if only to spare himself from Liam’s death glare, but Niall apparently has no such worries and cheerfully tells Liam, “Oh, probably a few hours, at least.” Liam glowers at Harry, which goes unnoticed by Niall as he shows Liam the braid he’s in the middle of making. “I’ve been styling his hair, look!”

Despite the irritation that previously marred his face, Liam can’t stop himself from throwing Niall a genuine smile, his eyes crinkling as he grins at the younger boy. Harry wonders how both of them could possibly be so oblivious to how _gone_ they are for each other.

~~~

“Are you actually a bottom?” Liam asks Niall one night as Niall is getting a glass of water from the kitchen.

Niall nearly spits out the water he just drank and looks at Liam like he’s grown a third head. “ _What_?”

Liam sighs. “You said it months ago, when you were dating that - Alfie. Were you being serious?”

“What’s brought this on, then?” Niall asks curiously.

“Just wondering,” Liam mumbles.

“Well, um, yeah, I was being serious,” Niall admits. “Are you like, weirded out by that or something?”

“No!” Liam says forcefully. “Not at all.” They stand in silence for a few more minutes before Liam suddenly blurts out, “Did you like sleeping with him?”

This time, Niall really does spit out some of his water. “What the hell?”

“Sorry, I don’t know why I just asked that,” Liam apologizes sheepishly.

“No, it’s fine, I just - why so curious all of a sudden?” Niall wants to know.

“Dunno, just am,” Liam replies vaguely.

“Right,” Niall says suspiciously. “Well, to answer your question, I, uh, didn’t actually ever sleep with Alfie.”

Liam stares at him. “Are you serious?”

“Completely,” Niall confirms, “In fact, um, well, we weren’t technically even boyfriends. We were actually fake-dating.”

Liam remains silent for a few long moments. “Care to explain _why_?”

Niall shrugs. “I’m not gonna lie, I really did find him very attractive. But he and I were both interested in other people. I agreed to help him make Trevor jealous.”

“You were interested in someone else?” Liam inquires, his eyes narrowing.

“Yeah,” Niall says nonchalantly. “Still am. But I gave up on anything coming from it a _long_ time ago.”

Liam looks extremely annoyed. “Is it someone I know?”

Niall lets out a laugh. “Oh, yeah.”

Liam is quiet again, “Is it - is it Zayn?” he finally forces out, barely above a whisper.

Niall looks incredulously at him. “Of course not, mate, Zayn’s the straightest guy around. I at least managed to fall for someone bi. A silver lining, kind of.”

“Okay, Louis is straight too, which leaves...Harry?” Liam guesses.

“Li,” Niall says, shaking his head as a wry smile appears on his face. “Do you really think it’s Harry?”

“Who else could it be?” Liam whispers. Niall has moved much closer to him, their faces now only inches apart.

“Li,” Niall breathes. “Liam, I’ve been in love with you since we were eighteen.”

Liam gapes at him for a moment, and within seconds, Niall is pinned to the wall by his wrists and Liam is kissing the life out of him. “Was that a fucking _song_ reference?” he growls between kisses.

“You love it,” Niall manages to gasp in reply. “You fucking _love_ it.”

Liam reduces the intensity of his kisses as he brings down a hand to cup Niall’s face. “I love _you_.”

~~~ 

Liam is still rubbing his eyes groggily as he walks into the living room. He stops in his tracks when he realizes three extremely alert faces are watching him intently. “Um,” he says.

“Congratulations,” Harry tells him, clearly struggling to not laugh. The other two both have shit-eating grins plastered on their faces too.

Liam drops onto the couch and eyes them warily. “You’re all awfully chipper this morning.”

“And you’re up awfully early for someone who got a very limited amount of sleep last night,” Zayn is quick to respond.

Liam opens his mouth, possibly to deny this, but before he gets the chance, Niall shuffles in, _almost_ imperceptibly limping (but of course, the three observant boys don’t miss it), and wordlessly climbs onto Liam’s lap, where he curls up against Liam’s chest comfortably. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Liam says weakly.

Louis speaks up this time. “Listen, you two may be acting just as disgustingly sweet as you always do, but there is _no fucking way_ we can just ignore the numerous love bites blossoming all over little Nialler’s neck.” Liam doesn’t have to look at Niall to know what he’s referring to (he _did_ put them there, after all).

“I’m not little,” Niall mutters, his voice hoarse.

“He really isn’t,” Liam says smugly.

The boys smirk. “Thought Niall was a bottom,” Louis comments.

“Oh, he is,” Liam confirms, smiling complacently. “ _Definitely_ a bottom.”

“We _know_ , mate,” Zayn says. “Could hear him for half the night.”

Niall blushes and tries to bury his face in Liam’s chest. Liam drops a light kiss on his lips to reassure him. “It’s okay, snowflake. You were perfect,” he murmurs.

Harry and Zayn exchange gleeful looks as Louis groans. “They’re gonna be one of those gross couples, aren’t they?”

Harry laughs as they watch Liam gaze down lovingly at Niall, who is practically glowing as he smiles radiantly back at the older boy. “Dunno what you expected. They’ve _always_ been one of those gross couples.”

~~~

“Hey, LiLi?” Niall asks quietly.

“What’s up, Nialler?” Liam replies just as softly.

Niall leans up to whisper in his ear. “Are you happy?”

If Liam is surprised by the question, he doesn’t mention it. He looks around the dim room. Harry is lying across the couch and focusing on the movie playing, his head resting on Zayn’s legs as Zayn absentmindedly runs his fingers through Harry’s hair with one hand and pelts Louis with popcorn with the other. Louis is giggling as he retaliates by tossing jelly beans not just at Zayn, but also at the other three boys. Liam is sprawled out on the other couch with Niall wrapped warmly in his arms, ignoring the occasional jelly beans hitting them, only half-watching the movie as they periodically exchange soft kisses. Liam takes it all in, his ridiculous boys and his beautiful boyfriend, and he can’t help the fond smile that creeps across his face. “Yeah, snowflake. I definitely am.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing for this fandom. I hope it's enjoyable!  
> I own none of the characters except Alfie and Trevor. And I just want to clarify that the way I characterized Sophia is completely my imagination, and it was only for the story to progress the way I wanted it to, I'm sure she's a lovely person in real life.  
> Comments and feedback are always welcome! Thanks for reading!


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